Blue chip banks may be struggling to get their rights issues away but acquisitive small caps have been surprisingly successful in placing new shares, writes Christopher Spink.

One of Italy’s premier private equity firms has followed the path of Blackstone and Carlyle as the country’s approach to alternative assets matures. Robert Venes reports

Within the borders of the European Union, the tactics that a company must employ to succeed in an acquisition vary from one country to the next. This is not what one would expect, when the European Takeover Directive of 2004, which took 30 years to create, was meant to have harmonised M&A across member states. Adam Durchslag reports

The auction of nuclear generator British Energy that gave rise to so much excitement three months ago had collapsed in disarray by mid-June, as only the state-owned Electricity de France came up with a firm offer for the company. Andrew Cavenagh reports

According to emerging markets guru Mark Mobius, corporates from developing countries have some innate qualities that are giving them an edge in M&A as the global economy becomes more volatile. Justin Pugsley reports

Japan is a cornucopia of great business names and is full of promise in terms of merger and acquisitions. Yet, Japan also has a habit of disappointing. Could this be about to change? Justin Pugsley reports